Jumbo falls to death in ditch

An adult male elephant was found dead in a ditch near Rampur village adjoining Diju tea estate in Lakhimpur district of Assam on Wednesday morning.

A team of veterinary doctors rushed to the spot and examined the carcass. "No injury was found on the carcass. The cause of the death can be ascertained after we receive the forensic test report," a vet said.

"The elephant, aged around 28 years, was roaming in the area along with its herd for the past few days. The tea garden authorities had dug the ditch very deep where the animal fell at night. We heard a roar but we didn't come out of home," said Tapan Das, a resident of Rampur village.

The area surrounding Rampur village is an elephant corridor. An elephant was run over by a train there a few months ago.

Residents alleged that the forest beat office is situated nearby and even after noticing the ditch, the forest officials did not take any measure to prevent such incidents.

Forest department workers, police and locals buried the carcass near the village.

Over the past few days, large herds of elephants have been seen in the area. However, this is the first such incident in this elephant corridor.

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